[adouglas]

Regarding boots:

High work boots (the kind that go partway up your shin) will provide protection comparable to touring boots. However, they have two drawbacks:

1. Your shifter will scrape up the top of the boot. Motorcycle boots have a protector on the top of the left boot to prevent this.

2. Motorcycle boots have smooth bottoms so you can move your feet around on the pegs more easily.

Personally, I wear some cheap Bilt boots for everyday riding, but have a good pair of Sidis that I use for the track. I am an ATGATT guy for sure, but would be comfortable wearing work boots. I would never wear ankle-height boots... that's begging for a busted ankle (think about where the fulcrum will be if your foot gets badly twisted wearing ankle boots).

Regarding gloves: Human instinct is to throw your hands out in a crash, palms outward. If you wear short gloves, that's going to expose your wrist. Makes sense to wear gauntlets, right? I wear race gauntlets, but would be comfortable with touring-type gloves. Don't get sucked in by fancy knuckle protectors and similar gewgaws. What really matters is what's covering the meaty part of your palm (the scaphoid) because that's what you're instinctively going to put on the ground.


Regarding jacket:

The purpose of the jacket is to protect you from abrasion and to hold armor in place. The more abrasion-resistant and smooth the material is, the better -- which is why leather is the best material for motorcycle jackets. For me, it has to be perforated leather... which is not all that hot as long as you're moving. Assuming you don't want to go for leather, textile is the second choice. Mesh is nice and cool but absolutely worthless in the abrasion department.

A jacket must fit snugly enough to keep the armor in place should you go down. Imagine a big muscular guy trying to forcibly remove your jacket without unzipping it. That's what the road is going to do to you if you go down. It's going to grab and tug and pull and twist. If your armor isn't where it's supposed to be, it's not doing its job. Try on a jacket, reach around your left elbow with your right hand, grab the elbow pad and try to pull it out of place. Can you twist the sleeve so much that the pad no longer covers your elbow? Then the jacket is too loose.

The foam back pad that comes with jackets (even really expensive ones) is a joke. Get a back armor insert.

Re pants:
If you're wearing a jacket it's because you want to avoid road rash and bruising on your torso. So logically, pants should provide equivalent protection. That's why riding jeans never really made much sense to me.... okay, so they'll protect from abrasion (maybe, if the seams don't let go) but what about armor? If you're putting armor in your riding jeans, then why not just get proper motorcycle pants?

The same comments re jacket material and fit apply to pants.

Pants are a tough choice, because presumably you don't want to walk around all day wearing motorcycle pants. That means either a) wearing overpants (loose, can be hot, but practical) or b) wearing dedicated pants and carrying a change of clothing (great protection but maybe more of a hassle than you want).

Personally, I wear perforated leather riding pants most of the time. If I'm out on a recreational ride, I just wear them all day. If I'm commuting, I carry a change of clothing. In poor weather (cold or wet), I wear overpants.